Tegucigalpa (Honduras), 06/14/2021, Sr. Glenda Leticia Ortiz Palacios.- When I heard the question: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who will come after us, to the children who are growing up?” (LS 160), I became aware of a new and enormous responsibility. This made me think: What can I do? What can be my contribution to the Common House? I had the opportunity to register for the Laudato Sí Animators course and it all started there...
Once I finished the course, I got in touch with the other animators. Thus, a small group dispersed throughout our country, which for years has been suffering a great environmental deterioration due to the extractive industry that has mercilessly exploited forests, rivers, mining resources and land and, on the other hand, agribusiness with monocultures, with the sole purpose of enriching a few by overriding the rights of people and the depletion of common goods. All this led us to ask ourselves: what is next?
What do we do? A brainstorming quickly emerged, we began to dream of a better country for new generations, considering that Honduras is one of the countries most affected by climate change, according to GermanWatch, as demonstrated by the recent hurricanes Iota and Eta at the end of 2020, which caused great human and material losses, leaving a country mired in destruction, hunger and numerous homeless families, ending an economy that was historically worn out and worsened by the pandemic, which has been poorly managed.
Faced with this not encouraging panorama, five animators resolved that this was the time to unite efforts and wills, heeding the call of Pope Francis: “The talents and involvement of all are needed to repair the damage caused by human abuse to God's creation… We can all collaborate as God's instruments for the care of creation” (LS14).
This is how, as on January of this year, we organized ourselves as a structure, being constituted the World Catholic Movement for the climate, Chapter of Honduras, in which I was asked to serve as the national animator of the Laudato Sí circles.
We are still few, but we have the deep desire to live an ecological conversion, fostering spaces for prayer, reflection, and commitments based on a lifestyle that implies the capacity for coexistence and communion. We have reached many environments in the families, schools and some institutions that have joined the common search to leave a habitable planet for the generations that will succeed us. Aware that “small actions” generate big changes, in our local community we have opted for an ecological commitment both in our daily life and at the pastoral level, generating a greater ecological awareness where we all feel collaborators in the construction of our Common House.
I want to conclude by inviting each one of the sisters and the communities to live the proposal made by the General Chapter of 2019: “Build communities that defend, promote and care for the common home, from an ecological spirituality, enlightened by Laudato Sí, as part of their community missionary project. " (55th GC p. 17).
